Police boss describes how he took out would-be criminal

Victoria Police’s chief commissioner has described how he personally subdued a suspect during an arrest in Melbourne CBD earlier this week.

Early on Wednesday, Mike Bush was travelling to work along Collins Street in Melbourne’s CBD when he and his security detail spotted officers attempting to subdue a man who police believed was armed with a knife.

Having declined to give interviews for two days – including after the story broke on Thursday – Bush gave more details when fronting a press conference at the police academy in Glen Waverley on Friday morning.

Bush said he got the car turned around and pulled up alongside the man, a 32-year-old from Brunswick, who was sprinting down Collins Street. The commissioner told reporters he yelled out his window for the man to stop, which he didn’t.

“As I was very close to approaching him, he discarded a sharp weapon, which turned out to be a chisel, and another instrument that he might be able to use for breaking and entering cars or homes,” Bush said.

“I got out of the vehicle and put my arms around him and restrained him until my colleagues arrived.

“I’m not sure who got the biggest fright: the person we were restraining, or my two colleagues who looked up and saw who was assisting them.

“As a police officer, we’re police officers first, and bosses second. So when you see your colleagues needing some support, you jump straight in. I’m always ready to step up for my colleagues.”

Asked whether it was a rugby union or an AFL tackle he had used, Bush appeared to suggest his technique more closely reflected the Australian code: “I did consider going low, but it wasn’t required.”

The man has since been taken to hospital for assessment, and police have not laid charges as per their latest update.

It wasn’t the first time since Bush was picked for the top job that he’s provided hands-on assistance to colleagues.

“No ... there’s been other occasions. There might have been one a few weeks ago when I was off duty and I did see a shoplifter leaving a 7-Eleven, and I did manage to pursue them and encourage them to return to the 7-Eleven and return the stolen property,” he said.

“I introduced myself as an off-duty police officer, and the conversation goes somewhere like, ‘Well, there are two ways we can do this, and the best way is that you just accompany me back and pay for it’, and that person saw sense.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.